Cushion vehicle wheel



Feb. 8, 1949-. M. BRANDON 2,461,257

CUSHION VEHICLE WHEEL Filed Nov. 28, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1949. e. M. BRANDON 2,461,257

CUSHION VEHICLE WHEEL Filed Nov. 28, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 8, 1949 UNLTED ST PATENT OFFICE CUSHION VEHICLE WHEEL George M. Brandon, Tallahassee, Fla.

Application. Nos/ember 28, 1944, Serial No. 565,498

4 Claims. 1'

This. invention is. a metal wheel of a design primarily for use on motor vehicles of all types, but not limited to this particular use.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a wheel of the character referred to, so constructed and arranged as to effectively cushion the wheel and the vehicle supported thereby from all shocks, irrespective of origin and intensity encountered by the vehicle during normal operation. A further object is to provide a wheel having inflatable tires for cushioning such shocks, but in a manner Similar to the. functioning of the wellknown pneumatic tire, but which is so constructed and arranged as to dispense with the need of inner tubes. Another object is to provide simple means for maintaining yieldable pressure upon the inflating medium employed to fill and to distend the tires. An additional object is to provide efilcient means for cooling the inflating fluid in such manner as to prevent overheating of the tire and the wheel. Ali important object is to provide a simple means whereby the invention may be applied to dual Wheels of the type commonly employed for supporting heavy trucks.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In th a om an ing r w n s-- Figure 1 is a front elevation illustrating a wheel constructed in accordance with the invention.

Figure 2 is .a Vertical sectional view thereof, on

spindle forming a part of the axle l2. The sleeve iii is provided with an annular supporting flange l3. which extends radially outward therefrom. The: separable section D is provided with a, chamher A, While the wheel section has an annular reservoir 1, the chamber A being designed to receive a cushioni pressure medium, such as air for example, i may be introduced into said hrou h alv 1- The eser oir I is do ens t recei e i he medi m uc as ater lia which is in roduced into. said nstance.

chamber by means of the valve V. It is to, be understood that although air and water are spee cifically mentioned, it is not intended to limit the invention to these specific elements.

The reservoir I is constructed with an inside wall l5 having a central flange l6, positioned to engage the flange l3, and to. be removably secured thereto by bolts ll, or other suitable securing means. Integrally connected with the inside wall I5 is a tire receiving rim R and a bottom wall E8, the latter having an annular flange [9 extending radially toward the axis of the wheel, the valve V being located in said bottom wall. Integrally, connected with the rim R and the bottom wall 18. is a perforated concave-convex backing plate 20. It is to be understood that the parts l5, 16, R, I8, it and 2t may each be constructed separately in suitable manner, such for instance by die pressing, and then connected to each other in the assembled position shown, by welding operations so as to provide the complete structure. Inasmuch as these operations come within the scope of com-. mon practice and ordinary skill in the art, the parts are shown as assembled integral structures.

- Before assembling the parts and securing them together, as stated, a series of pipes P are positioned diagonally and radially across the reservoir I, one end of each pipe communicating with the outside atmosphere through an opening in the wall !5, and the other end communicating with hub-receiving space through an opening in the bottom wall 8. The rim R is provided with the usual tire engaging flanges El similar in structure and design to those commonly employed to grip the edges of the outer casing of a standard type pneumatic tire casing. Such a tire casing T is shown as gripped between the rim flanges so as to provide an annular cushioning chamber C, re stricted communication between said reservoir and the chamber I being established by means of openings 22 formed in the rim R. The rim R. is also provided with an integral annular flange 23 spaced radially inward from the rirn and extending axially outward, I

The chamber A is constructed of a metal out: side wall 25 having an integral bottom memberZli within which the valve V is located. A flange 27 extends radially inward from the bottornzfi at a position to register with and engage the flange 9. The peripheral edge of the outside wall 25 is provided with an annular flange 28 so positioned as to register with the flange 23; An elastic diaphragm 25 forms the dividing wall between the chamber A and reservoir I, said diaphragm havf ing its peripheral edge clamped between the end of this annular space H is normally covered by a removable hub cap H of the usual type, the outer curved wall of which is provided with louvred openings 0, so positioned that while the wheel is rotating they will act as a pump so as to force currents of atmospheric air from space H upwardly and outwardly through the pipes P. Extending through the rim R is an opening 35 in which is located a valve V communicating with a vent pipe 36, which extends into the cushion chamber C close to a position near the tread thereof. 7

In practice, after the sections of the wheel body have been assembled and'have been mounted on the hub, the chamber C will be inflated by introducing an inflation medium into the reservoir I through the valve V. However, to do this the wheel must first be '50 positioned that the vent tube 36 is at its highest possible position from the ground, the wheel, of course remaining at rest during the inflation process. inflating medium such as air, gas, water or other liquid may be employed, but it is preferred to employ water becauseof-its ready availability and its capability. of resisting shocks. While the inflating medium is being fed into the compartment I the valve W must be open so that air within the reservoir I and chamber C may be vented through said vent tube 36 and valve V Just as soon as 'a flow of inflating medium through the valve v occurs, the valve must be closed because at this time the reservoir I will be filled with the inflating medium, the diaphragm 29 being held away from the backing plate 20 by the applied pressure. After closing the valve V the chamber A is placed in communication with a cushioning pressure medium such as air (not shown) introduced through valve V, as commonly used to inflate pneumatic tires. As the pressure builds up-within said chamber A, the diaphragm 29 is stretched by the air pressure against it, thereby building up a yieldable cushioned pressure against the body of the inflating medium within reservoir I and chamber C. Obviously, the

pressure within chamber A may be regulated to any desired degree, and thereafter the diaphragm will serve as the cushioning means for all shocks applied to the inflating medium transmitted from the tire T, the inflating medium being at all times free to flow through the backing plate 20. During rotation of the wheel, incident to its travel over a roadway, the louvres act as a pump to draw atmospheric air into the space H and to force said air through the pipes P, so that the inflating medium will be kept sufliciently cool to prevent overheating of the tire and other parts of the wheel, irrespective of speed of rotation or normal operating temperatures. If necessary a gasket g may be inserted between each edge of the tire casing T and the adjacent rim flange 2| to" insure against leakage of inflating medium at these locations.

Referring to Figure 5, the invention'is shown Any suitable as applied to a wheel of the dual type, such as is adapted and commonly employed for use with heavy trucks, buses and the like. In this form of the invention, the wheel is provided with a main or supporting section S and a separable section D. The section S is provided with the hub sleeve l0a to receive the usual anti-friction hub Ila mounted upon the axle Ho. The sleeve la is provided with a radially disposed external annular flange i311. The supporting section is provided with a main side wall l5a having an inner annularly disposed flange 16a positioned to engage the flange i3a and to be removably secured thereto by means of bolts Ha. Said separable section is also provided with two inflation reservoirs I and I to receive inflating media through valves V and V respectively. There is also a pressure chamber A located between the reservoir I and I The separable section is provided with a peripheral wheel rim R which is of a width to support at least two tire casings T and '1 respectively, said rim being integrally connected with diverging walls 40 which are integrally connected to the side wall 15a, said diverging side walls and the rim providing an annular auxiliary reservoir I The rim R is provided with two sets of tire engaging flanges 21a, for receiving and retaining the tire casings in a manner well understood in pneumatic tire practice, so as to provide cushioning chambers C and C respectively. The auxiliary reservoir I communicates with the chamber I through an opening 24a and with. the pressure chamber C by means of an opening 24?) in the rim R.

The reservoir I is formed by providing the side wall Fla with an integral bottom wall l8a having a-flange l9a, the peripheral wall of said chamber being formed by the rim R, whichis also provided with an annular flange 4| extending radially inward therefrom. A concavo-convex backing plate 204: is integrally connected at its edges to the rim R and to the bottom wall I811.

The reservoir I is constructed with the removable side wall 25a which is provided with an integral bottom wall 26a and'a top wall 42, said bottom having a radial flange 21a. Integrally connected with the top and bottom walls is a backing plate 20b of concave-convex cross section, but reversely positioned with respect to the backing plate 20a. The side wall 25a is provided with an annular outer flange 28a positioned to engage the complemental flange 23a formed on the front edge of the rim R, the two flanges being secured together by means of bolts 43. Removably secured to one side of the flange M by means of bolts 44 are the peripheral portions of two elastic diaphragms 29a and 291) respectively, the inner edges of said diaphragms being separated and clamped between flanges l5 and 46 respectively carried by a bottom piece 26b, and the flanges 21a and 19a respectively. The interposed bottom piece 26a is provided with a valve V for the introduction of pressure medium. The two inflating medium reservoirs I and I are each provided with cooling pipes P' which establish communication between the space surround ing the hub and the external atmosphere through the side walls Ho and 25a respectively. As in the other form the space which surrounds the hub is normally closed by a removable hub cap H having louvred openings 0 in the curved wall of the I cap so as to deliver air under sufflcient pressure to cause it to circulate through the pipes P and thereby keep the reservoirs I and I and other parts of the wheel from becoming overheated While in operation. The reservoir 1' communi sates with the cushion chamber C through medium of registering openings in the rim E and the top wali 2. Each chamber C C is provided with a vent pipe the pipe of chamber C venting through a valve V in the rim and communicating with the space between the flange 23a. the tire engaging rim. The vent pipe 55a of chamber C is connected with a valve V extending through the wheel rim R.

The advantages of the invention will be readily understood by those skilled. in the art to which it belongs. For instance, it will be readily seen that by maintaining a liquid tight joint between the tire casing and the wheel rim, a liquid inflating medium may be employed, and that ample cushioning means against shock are provided. A further important advantage is that the diaphragm 25 is located in a position where it is not normally subject to puncture or other damage incident to wear that are commonly experienced in the operation of vehicles equipped with pneumatic tires. A further advantage is that a very strong and sturdy cushioning means is provided which will adequately compensate for the most severe shocks which a vehicle wheel may be expected to encounter during normal operation, thereby protecting the wheel from damage, and the vehicle and passengers from injury. Another advantage is that a simple and efficient means is provided for preventing overheating of the tire and wheel during normal operation.

Having thus explained the nature of the invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, or all of the forms of its use, what is claimed is:

1. In a vehicle wheel, a wheel section comprising an inside wall having spaced integral rim and bottom wall portions, a, rigid outside wall arranged in spaced relation to said inside wall and in tight connection with said rim and bottom wall portions, an elastic diaphragm interposed between said Walls providing a reservoir between said diaphragm and said inside wall and an air chamber between said diaphragm and said outside wall, a tire on said rim, said reservoir communicating with said tire and adapted to contain liquid, means for venting said tire, and an inflating valve for said air chamber.

2. In a vehicle wheel, a wheel section having a rigid inside wall, a rim and a bottom wall portion, a separable section for said wheel section also having a rigid wall in tight connection with rim and bottom wall portions, said walls io elastic diaphragm l l etxveen said diaphragm and said A waiis, an inflatable tire on said wheel in communication with said reservoir, an .sllt for tire, means whereby liquid may be introduced to reservoir, and means for supplying air pressure to said chamber.

3. In a vehicle wheel, an annular wheel section comprising an inside wall having a rim and a bottom section, a perforate rigid wall in said wheel section spaced from said inside wall and connecting said rim bottom section, a separabie section secured to said wheel section, a rigid wall on said separable section spaced from the rigid wall of said wheel section, an elastic diaphragm carried by said separable section spaced from both of said rigid walls in tight connection with said rim and bottom wall portions, said diaphragm providing an air chamber between said diaphragm and said rigid wall and a reservoir between said diaphragm and said inside wall, a tire on said rim in restricted communication with said reservoir, an air vent for said tire, a liquid filling valve for said reservoir, and an air filling valve for said chamber.

4. In a vehicle wheel, a main Wheel section including an inside wall, a tire rim and a bottom wall spaced from one another and integral with said side wall, a perforate backing plate integral with said rim and said bottom wall and spaced from said inside wall, a tire on said rim, an outside wall secured at said rim and at said bottom wall and in spaced relation to said backing plate, a diaphragm interposed between said outside wall and said backing plate to provide an air chamber between said wall and plate and a reservoir between said diaphragm and said inside wall, said rim having an opening therein to establish communication between said reservoir and said tire, means for venting said tire, and an inflating valve for said air chamber.

GEORGE M. BRANDON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,247,681 Howard Nov. 27, 1917 2,014,618 Haines Sept. 17, 1935 2,024,040 Hallingsworth Dec. 10, 1935 2,053,735 Overholser Sept. 8, 1936 2,222,047 Snyder Nov. 19, 1940 

